


friends are something that we were (before me sleeping in your shirt)

by jiaras



Series: Jiara Week [4]
Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Banter, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks)-centric, Jiara July, Romance, Smut, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25629766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiaras/pseuds/jiaras
Summary: (Jiara Week Day 5: 5+1 Day)‘’Shut up, you liked it, you opened your mouth for tongue and all.’’ Kiara’s eyes snapped back to meet his, a flush creeping up her neck. ‘’Did not!’’——————orthe five times JJ and Kiara pretended to be a couple, and the one time they were
Relationships: JJ & Kiara (Outer Banks), JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks)
Series: Jiara Week [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852384
Comments: 19
Kudos: 170
Collections: Jiara July Jubilee, Jiara Ocean Kiss Soulmate Endgame Excellence (aka a jiara-centric fic collection)





	friends are something that we were (before me sleeping in your shirt)

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to go up yesterday but I couldn't finish it in time, oops lol 
> 
> also, if smut is not your thing feel free to skip parts four and five. all the other ones are smut free :)

**_one_ **

Being with Sarah and her group of girlfriends felt like being in a blissful bubble of femininity — Kiara suddenly found herself in the middle of conversations about nail polish, hair products and which boy from the Kook Academy had the best looking butt. And it’s not that she liked it any better than the _how good were the waves today?_ , _let’s go steal some beers from Heyward’s_ , _pros and cons of hydroponic weed_ kind of talk she usually had with the boys (in fact, if anyone had asked her, she might have admitted she liked it a lot less), but it was different, and it was _something_.

Kiara did enjoy Sarah’s company (would happily call them best friends, even), but not quite the other girls’. Scarlet and Olivia all shared colour coordinated cropped tube tops, way-too-sweet smelling perfumes and a sense of superiority _oh so typical_ for the residents of Figure 8. All things considered, on that unusually warm January afternoon, Kiara had been understandably disappointed to find out Sarah needed to bail on their group hang out (something to do with her new stepmother throwing a fit over garden flowers) and had left her alone at the Fishing Pier to deal with her own personal Drizella and Anastasia.

‘’How about you, Kiara? _’’_ Olivia’s posh accent (that Kiara wasn’t quite sure where it came from) snapped her out of her daydreaming about unsurfable, closeout waves.

‘’What about me?’’

Strands of red hair stuck to Scarlet’s overly glossy lips when she spoke. ‘’Jesus, how come your mind is always somewhere else?’’ Kiara shrugged, turning her head away to roll her eyes so the girls wouldn’t see. ‘’Grady’s friend Cliff, Kiara. You remember Cliff, right? The one with the B+ butt. Well, anyway, Grady is taking him to the party at Sarah’s tonight so that you two can _get it on_.’’ 

Kiara stopped dead in her tracks right as they were about to enter the light green house with breaking down pool tables and ‘90s video games. ‘’Get it on?’’

Scarlet let out an exaggerated sigh. ‘’Weren’t you listening to anything that I was saying, Kiara?’’ She pinched the bridge of her nose, as if needing to gather some patience before continuing the talk. ‘’Tracy dumped Cliff last Tuesday, he needs a good hook up now.’’

Kiara didn’t mind talking about hair or mani-pedis, considering it was almost therapeutic to have her nails painted a soft yellow, and her curls had never looked better since Sarah had bought her some curl defining mousse, and she had even grown to quite enjoy reality TV in a guilty pleasure kind of way, but boy talk was a different story. 

She liked boys (some of them, at least. Definitely not Cliff, though), but she had never _done stuff_ with a boy before. Not so shocking, considering for most of her life she was best friends with a group of three Pogue boys not even she could deny being attractive (and people just had the tendency of assuming she had to be dating one of them, didn’t they?), and she wasn’t necessarily attracted to the polo-wearing, hair slipped back type of boys from the Kook Academy.

Scarlet must have noticed the way Kiara’s weight shifted from side to side uncomfortably and how her bare arms covered in beaded bracelets crossed over her chest in defense, because her green eyes went wide as she yelled out ‘’What the fuck, Kiara? I thought you had hooked up with Jennifer’s cousin from Wilmington last month.’’

His name was Michael, and he had pulled Kiara into Jennifer’s bright pink room where they proceeded to make out for twenty-five minutes. It mostly felt like he was licking Kiara’s face — his tongue just wobbling around senseless —, and he tried to dry hump her kneecap before she kicked him in the balls and told him to piss off. It was safe to say they definitely _did not_ hook up, but Kiara may or may not have let her friends believe she did.

‘’I mean, I just—’’ she took a step back, a flush creeping up her neck. ‘’I guess, but—’’

‘’You guess?’’ Scarlet interrupted, a pinched expression. ‘’Oh my God, Kiara Carrera, did you _lie_ about hooking up with that guy?’’

Both girls had big grins on their faces, like they couldn’t wait to text their friends and let them know what a liar Kiara was. And she didn’t even lie, really — just went along with what everyone had assumed, like she usually did. _Those three boys you always hang out with, you screw all of them?_ , she had been asked by a Kook once, right as she crossed the condom aisle at a pharmacy. _What? Jealous that it’s more action than you’ll ever get in your miserable little life?_

‘’Jesus, Kie, what else did you lie about?’’ Olivia teased, eyeing the curly haired girl up and down.

‘’Bet she’s a virgin,’’ Scarlet said to Olivia, ignoring Kiara’s presence all together. ‘’I mean, lying about having hooked up with guys before, Kie? _So juvenile_ , even for you.’’ 

The girls waited for her response expectantly, but Kiara stood dumbfounded. Whenever a simple word threatened to escape her lips, she would stutter and stammer until every possible explanation got stuck down her throat. Fuck, that was embarrassing. Knowing Scarlet and Olivia there was no way they were going to let that go, and Kiara could already see the group of Kooks whispering and chuckling behind her back as soon as she walked into the Academy on Monday — _is that the girl who lied about hooking up with Michael? Because I heard she begged to hook up with him, but he said no. Well, what I heard was_ —

‘’Hey, babe,’’ a husky, suave male voice that was all-too-familiar brought Kiara back to the surface. It had been months, but it barely took her a second to recognize one certain JJ Maybank in all his glory, shark tooth necklace hanging from his slightly sunburnt neck, dark green snapback failing at its attempt to tame his sandy blond hair. ‘’I was looking for you all over.’’

His arm found its way around Kiara’s shoulder protectively (maybe even somewhat affectionately, she dared think), and Scarlet and Olivia were the ones left dumbfounded, stiffening their postures. 

Kiara hadn’t spoken to JJ in three months. Last time she did, he called her a sell out — he smelled of weed and salt water then, as she walked away, and smelled of weed and salt water now, as she leaned into his embrace. She figured she knew what he was trying to do, and in desperation, decided to accept it wholeheartedly.

‘’Kiara,’’ Scarlet scoffed. Kiara couldn’t tell if the girl’s shaky smile came from the joint behind JJ’s ear or the way his muscles tensed up underneath the cut off shirt. ‘’Who’s this?’’ 

''JJ,'' before Kiara could even process the question, JJ stretched out the hand that wasn’t softly stroking Kiara’s hair towards the snobby looking girl. ‘’Kie’s boyfriend.’’

 _Oh_. The girls stared at her wide eyed, as if waiting for some confirmation from Kiara herself — so she nodded, her arm going around JJ’s back to rest on his waist.

‘’You didn’t tell us you had a boyfriend.’’ Olivia scowled, and JJ giggled just loud enough to be met with confused eyes.

‘’Sorry, sorry, it’s just — Olivia, right? I delivered groceries to your house a few times,'' he scoffed, all cheeky smile and dimples. ''Aren’t your parents from Texas? Looks like you might be watching a little too much Game of Thrones, huh.’’

Olivia’s mouth was left hanging wide open, and Kiara had a hard time controlling the laughter, lower stomach aching from holding it in. She did always think the girl’s accent sounded a bit too English for someone who had only spent half a semester living abroad in Manchester, but JJ had been the first one to blatantly call her out on it.

‘’I lived in England.’’ She said, jaw clenched, but even Scarlet had to hide a chuckle behind the palm of her hand. JJ either didn’t pay attention to the girl’s explanation or simply didn’t care enough to respond. 

He had a cocky, flirtatious smirk on his chapped lips when Scarlet asked for how long they had been a thing. _Just a while_ , he said. It didn’t matter how much the girl pressed, JJ was a good liar — all of his answers just vague enough so that Kiara wouldn’t have a hard time remembering them later on. Kiara made sure to nod at whatever nonsense the boy mumbled about, doing her best impression of a loving smile and smitten eyes — the blush on her cheeks, she didn’t have to fake.

‘’We should go now, hot stuff,’’ JJ muttered under his breath, just like Kiara had seen him do dozens of times with long legged Touron girls. ‘’Scarlet-with-one-T, British girl. It was nice meeting you.’’

JJ pulled Kiara away from the girls, quickly strolling down the opposite direction before they had time to argue. They both knew, of course, that the girls’ gazes burned holes through their backs as they watched the surprising new couple walk side by side. 

‘’Hold my hand.’’ JJ more demanded than anything else, although his blue eyes paid attention to the water, the ground, the people around them — whatever his gaze could focus on that was not Kiara.

‘’What?’’ 

His eyebrows were pulled down together, margins of his lips becoming more narrow when he finally allowed his baby blue eyes to meet hers. ‘’They’re still looking, and if you want this to be believable, you better suck it up, buttercup. Just hold my hand.’’

She obliged — less because of the girls still staring straight at them, and more as an attempt to soften the boy’s irritated expression. It only worked a little, his muscles slightly less rigid. 

‘’You didn’t have to do that.’’ Kiara said, her palm sweaty holding on to his. She tried not to focus too much on how nice his metallic rings felt against her skin.

‘’Kiara, if that’s your attempt at a _thank you_ , let me tell you, it sucks.’’

Not _Kie_. Kiara. She could feel her heart sink to her stomach.

‘’Besides, I did have to do that, you were getting _destroyed_ out there,’’ he teased in typical JJ manner, and Kiara chuckled. ‘’Seriously, it was painful to watch.’’

Something else Kiara tried hard not to think about? How he kept his hand on hers for a minute too long, after they knew Scarlet and Olivia had already gone inside. How his fingertips softly brushed against her palm. How when he finally pulled his hand away from hers, balled his fist and shoved it in his boardshort’s pocket, a certain coldness hit her at her core.

‘’Thanks,’’ she muttered out at last, both standing in front of each other awkwardly. ‘’They did kind of have me in a chokehold back there. I owe you one.’’

JJ nodded. His hands went from his pockets to the back of his neck, where he pulled at the skin until it was left a soft red. ‘’It’s fine, don’t worry about it,’’ he plucked the joint from behind his ear, letting the small object travel through his fingers skillfully. ‘’Well, see you then. Pope’s waiting for me, you know how he gets his panties all in a bunch when I’m late.’’

Kiara yelled after him when he began to walk away, joint hanging from his lips. ‘’I thought you were mad at me.’’ She said, still confused as to why he’d help her out of that situation with her _new little Kook friends_ , as JJ called them once.

He turned around, jaw tensed up. ‘’Oh, I am. Trust me, I’m fucking pissed,’’ his eyes trailed down to her lips. ‘’But I’ve got your back. No one can talk shit about you but me.’’

She kept her gaze on his path long after he was gone. 

**_two_ **

‘’What’s so special about this bracelet, anyway?’’ JJ asked with disgust written all over his face as he passed by a Kook throwing up inside an expensive looking Chinese vause. ‘’You have a whole bunch of bracelets.’’ He pointed at Kiara’s arm.

‘’Well, it’s the first one I made myself,’’ she explained, the too-loud music vibrating her eardrums uncomfortably.‘’And I want it back.’’

Only a few days Kiara’s friendship with Kook princess Sarah Cameron came to an abrupt end, the girl was disheartened to realise she had forgotten her favourite beaded bracelet at the Cameron’s household. It was so important to Kiara, that she even put her pride aside and walked up to Sarah at school one day, blank faced, and asked for it back — the blonde didn’t even attempt to soften her fake, cynical smile when she said _oh, sorry, Kie. Haven’t seen it_. 

Enlisting JJ’s help in getting it back had been one of Kiara’s first moves after being allowed back into the Pogues — she couldn’t say _welcomed_ , because it really did take weeks of her apologizing, over and over again, begging for their forgiveness with bottles of cold beer and cheesy fries from The Wreck. 

She could’ve asked John B for a hand, but didn’t want to risk getting him in trouble with his boss, Ward, if they were caught breaking into Sarah’s bedroom. Pope, for obvious reasons (more specifically, how he turned into a ball of anxiety when it came to breaking rules), was out of the question, and that only left JJ. _Wow, Kie, the last option? I figured I had at least some best liar street cred, I expected more_ , JJ had teased when Kiara told him her thought process. He didn’t take much convincing though — what else did he have to do on a Friday night besides infiltrate a Kook party at Sarah Cameron’s?

It was a big house. Way too big even, bigger than a house had any right to be. Empty beer cans and wine bottles could already be found strewn lazily across the perfectly mowed lawn, and Kiara, with her orange linen pants that smelled of grease (in her defense, she had just finished her shift at The Wreck and didn’t have time to change) and a thick tie dye headband on her hair messy hair, kept tripping over them as they made their way across the yard. JJ casually used his right hand to steady her, his fingers holding on to the skin under her crop top.

‘’But I’m telling you right now, Kie. We get caught and they come for us, I’m going full on beast mode.’’ The boy warned, removing the red snapback from his head, running his finger through his hair only to place it back on again.

‘’All right, chill, Beast Boy.’’

JJ pulled his tensed up arm over Kiara’s shoulders as soon as they walked through the door, a bunch of Kooks too busy passing packets of pills around like candy to acknowledge their presence. She knew she smelled a bit like fried shrimp and butter (she didn’t have time to shower, ok?), but if JJ noticed, he didn’t mention it. What he did do was catch with his thumb and index finger a parsley leaf that was hanging on to one of the tiny braids in Kiara’s hair, letting it fall to the ground.

‘’Fucking Kook parties, man. Smells like hair gel.’’ JJ complained as Kiara led him through the corridor. Thankfully, she knew exactly where Sarah’s room was, up the stairs to the left. ‘’You’re going to owe me _so much weed_ after this.’’

Kiara rolled her eyes, but didn’t even manage to respond before two or three pointy elbows hit her right in the ribcage. JJ held her closer to his own body, his hand hovering over her chest and upper stomach protectively. He didn’t want anyone to touch her, not even on accident, and made it quite clear.

But then, when Kiara thought her get in, get out plan set in motion was sure to work, _Sarah Cameron_. She’d recognize the girl’s striking blonde hair and goddess like presence anywhere, and she was currently going down the stairs right as JJ and Kiara were going up. 

‘’Shit, fuck, shit,’’ the amount of profanities escaping Kiara’s lips were enough to catch JJ’s attention. ‘’She’s coming this way.’’

Kiara stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widened, mind working at a hundred miles per hour trying to plan an escape route. _Could they make a run for it_ _?_ _Hide behind a marble column until the girl had passed through_ _?_ No, it was too late for that. 

JJ studied her face, as if trying to make sure the girl was thinking the same thing he was. Apparently, Kiara’s gaze flickering down to his lips was just what he needed for confirmation — he closed the gap between them, pushing Kiara’s back against the railing and his lips against hers. 

He tasted of mints (the kind Kiara knew he stole from the receptionist’s desk at work) and metal, still some blood coming from a split lip he got after a run-in with Rafe earlier that day. His grip was tight, felt protective even, as his calloused fingers pulled on the loose threads of her work top and brushed against her skin. Were those _goosebumps_ she felt forming? Kiara tried not to think much of it, giving into the kiss that was currently protecting her body from being spotted by Sarah Cameron and her group of friends.

She broke the kiss for a moment, but her hand still held onto the back of JJ’s neck. ‘’I think we’re in the clear.’’ Sarah was long gone, and they both knew so.

‘’Might still be close by, though,’’ he let out breathlessly. ‘’Better be safe than sorry, right?’’

And she didn’t overthink it before muttering a confident _yeah_ , because his lips just looked so pink and swollen and kissable, and when he licked and nipped at her bottom lip it felt electric. It was a hungry kiss, tongues battling back and forth, hands everywhere — as if they had been waiting to do this for years, and now couldn’t wait a second until the bubble burst, as it was sure to somehow.

It was because of a group of Kooks that walked right past them, whistling and howling — _Jesus, get a room_. JJ was the one to pull away this time, a furrow between his brow. Kiara didn’t want to hear what he had to say, though — didn’t want that moment of awkwardness to linger on for too long, so she did nothing but clear her throat and continue her way up the stairs, a bit too aware of the boy’s presence right behind her.

 _Fuck, it was going to be weird_. She knew it would when she walked into Sarah’s room and told JJ to shut the door behind them and lock it — he was unusually quiet, and she didn’t like it one bit. 

‘’The beads are black and blue, and there’s a white turtle gemstone,’’ she reminded him, wanting him to take action and search through Sarah’s drawers. ‘’Are you just going to stand there or do you plan on helping?’’

‘’Hey, I feel like I was quite helpful back there. You know, with the kissing and all,’’ he teased, as if wanting to see if he could make her blush. It worked.

‘’God, just shut up and look through her jewelry box JJ, will you?'' Kiara scoffed, ''You kissing whatever living, breathing thing you come across can’t solve _everything_ ’’ 

She opened drawer after drawer, making a mess of the carefully folded jeans skirts and crop tops.

‘’Well, maybe not everything, but we could try it again you know, just to make sure.’’ 

‘’JJ, don’t you _dare_ kiss me like that again.’’ Kiara said, but her voice cracked and didn’t sound as certain as she had hoped it would. 

‘’Shut up, you liked it, you opened your mouth for tongue and all.’’ Kiara’s eyes snapped back to meet his, a flush creeping up her neck.

‘’Did not!’’

He smirked confidently. ‘’Really? Then why did you lick my tongue when I stuck it in you mouth?’’ Kiara scoffed at the comment, recognizing it as JJ’s typical playful flirting. She felt almost relieved, knowing things wouldn’t be silent and awkward and different between them. Almost. 

‘’Can you stop saying the word tongue and just look for my fucking bracelet, please?’’ She hissed, face scrunched up in annoyance.

‘’Well, since you asked so nicely, Kie.’’

Of course he was the one to find it. Not in a drawer or the jewelry box, but thrown under the bed, a collection of blue and black and green that was so clearly Kiara, JJ was taken aback. ‘’I believe this belongs to you, m’lady.’’ She giggled, shoulders suddenly relaxing — the bracelet was right there, just as she expected, and JJ wasn’t being weird. He was just, well, JJ.

Except for the fact that he had a boyish smile and his breathing was laboured when he closed the distance between them and leaned into her. And the way Kiara didn’t step back when she thought he might kiss her again — and how she was slightly disappointed when he didn’t do so, but instead asked for her arm and slid the bracelet up her wrist. 

‘’There we go,’’ his calloused fingers lingered almost unconsciously on the assemblage of different, colourful macrame and beaded jewelry. ‘’Just where it belongs.’’

And when she thought he might say something, or do something, _anything_ , the doorknob turned back and forth vigorously, followed by knocking and a female voice Kiara knew belonged to one of Sarah’s friends from school. ‘’Why’s the door locked? You can’t be here.’’ 

JJ rubbed his brow in deep thought only for a few seconds before a mischievous little smile made its way to his lips. ‘’Can’t a guy bone his girl in peace, nowadays? God!’’ He was loud and clear, the girl making gagging sounds from outside the door. 

‘’JJ! Seriously?’’ Kiara scolded, a whisper even though they could hear the high heeled steps of the girl walking away.

‘’It worked, didn’t it? Let’s get out of here,’’ he came to a sudden stop right as they were about to reach the door, and Kiara nearly collided head-first with his back. ‘’Unless you _do_ want to bone because in that case—’’

‘’Open the door, JJ.’’ She said authoritatively.

‘’Yeah, all right, my bad.’’

**_three_ **

‘’I’ll pay you!’’ JJ begged, not even a tiny bit intimidated by Kiara’s hands on her hips and stiffened posture. 

Her voice felt more like a bark. ‘’And you do realise if you paid me, that’d be basically prostitution.’’

That put JJ deep in thought for a second, his brows knitted. ‘’I meant with weed from my cousin, not actual money.’’

‘’Still.’’ She began to walk away, but was softly pulled back by his hand on her shoulder.

‘’Come on, Kie. Aren’t you tired of John B and Pope always getting us?’’

Ever since the year Kiara started hanging out with the trio of boys, she had found herself stuck in the middle of a prank war on April 1st — a war that was mostly a massacre, because Pope and John B were always the ones getting JJ and Kiara, not the other way around. Were they overall pretty harmless pranks? Yes, of course, but still — being the butt of the joke was sure to get tiring after the fifth, or eighth, or tenth time it happened. 

There was that one time with the toothpaste filled donuts 9JJ couldn’t taste anything but mint for a week), the time they wrapped up all of Kiara’s most prized possessions in aluminium foil (it had been over two years then, and she still, sometimes, opened a drawer to find a tiny object covered in tin foil), and also that past year, when they glued a **please honk** sign on the back of Kiara’s car while she was driving JJ to work. JJ had gotten so angry at all the honking at one point, he jumped out of the car to confront the other driver.

Peterkin didn’t think the joke was very funny, when she was called to the scene.

‘’You know what? _Fine_.’’ Kiara said, and JJ studied her face carefully. It was April Fools, after all. 

‘’Wait, really?’’ He jumped up and down, like a little boy who had just gotten a new toy. ‘

’Yes, JJ, really. But it better be good.’’

Fake dating had been his brilliant idea, earlier that morning. What would shock Pope and John B more than having their two best friends hooking up behind their backs? Kiara had to admit, it had potential, and it didn’t even need that much work — especially in comparison to the eleven hours it had taken Pope and John B to cover all of her room in tin foil, that one time. 

The plan was simple.

  1. **Touching**. It was Kiara’s suggestion, and although JJ protested saying it was way too subtle for two oblivious boys such as Pope and John B to pay attention to, he eventually gave in.



When they arrived at The Chateau that day, instead of lying in one of the empty hammocks like she usually would, Kiara plopped herself down in the one already occupied by JJ, curling up to his side, her head on his chest. She was so focused on the fast beating of his heart and the way his hand caressed the back of her head, she barely noticed the glance Pope and John B exchanged between themselves.

When they walked over to the boat, he held her hand. It felt warm and familiar, and she found it somewhat entertaining to play with the rings on his fingers, moving them around. He leaned into her face when he knew the other boys were looking and whispered, lips brushing against her earlobe, _just go with it_. So he removed the golden ring from his pinky and placed it in her thumb. 

‘’There we go. Just where it belongs.’’

2. **Innuendos**. Of course, JJ was king of sexual innuendos on any normal day, but it couldn’t hurt to bring it up a notch.

Kiara took off her shirt, showing off her strapless yellow bikini? _God damn it, Kie, how am I supposed to keep my hands off of you now?_

She had a grape popsicle in her mouth, purple icy liquid dripping down her chin? _Fuck, Kie, I wish that popsicle was something else, if you know what I mean_. 

Crouched down, ass up in the air to tie her shoes? _Ah, yes, if it isn’t my favourite view in the whole entire world_. 

After the fourth of fifth time he did it, the boys — who usually just did their best to ignore JJ’s overly sexual jokes — grew alarmed not only by how JJ was pretty much drooling by the simple sight of Kiara, but how Kiara herself seemed to find the comments almost amusing, looking at JJ through her eyelashes flirtatiously in return.

3. **Pet names**. That one was hard to do without cringing and curling up into a ball of embarrassment, but worth it.

‘’Here you go, babe.’’ Kiara said as she handed JJ a cool beer straight from the cooler.

‘’Thank you, sexy pants.’’

She had a hard time controlling her laughter by the sight of Pope and John B’s horrified expressions, and taking by the redness creeping up JJ’s neck and the way the corner of his mouth quirked up, she assumed he felt the same way. And soon, it turned into a competition of who could keep the better poker face while using the most ridiculous pet names they could think of.

‘’Do you want some more sunscreen, honeybun?’’ Kiara offered.

‘’No, sweet cheeks, I’m good, thanks.’’

‘’Hey, angel pie, come take a look at that dolphin.’’ JJ yelled out.

‘’Oh, baby cakes, you know I love dolphins.’’

‘’Are you getting cold, pumpkin pie?’’ JJ asked after the sun had set.

‘’Just a little, sugar lips.’’

But John B and Pope truly lost it when they called each other _schmoopy_ and _muffin-top_. Pulled them into the kitchen like two parents ready to scold their children — Pope just looked more embarrassed than anything, struggling to look at the duo in their eyes, and John B nearly had steam coming out of his ears.

‘’You two think you’re so funny, huh?’’ John B gave a lopsided grin, head nodding up and down with a certain tightness to it. ‘’ _Ha-ha. April Fools_. You're not fooling anyone.’’

But JJ and Kiara were ready for this reaction. Had prepared for it, even — rehearsed the way they’d gaze at each other, how they’d grab each other’s hand for comfort and pull at their skin nervously, show off a shaky, unsure smile.

‘’We didn’t know how to tell you guys—’’ Kiara trailed off, faking agitation and allowing JJ to finish it off.

‘’—We’re together. We’ve been, like, _a thing_ , for a couple of weeks now.’’ 

The havoc they created felt good — _that_ was how you got payback, and Kiara couldn’t wait to get away from the two boys so that she and JJ could celebrate with their handshake and a good laugh. 

John B was left dumbfounded, struggling to make sense of what was taking place right in front of his eyes. Kiara found it hilarious, really. The poor boy was paralyzed, jaw dropped, eyes narrowed — when he did finally move, it was to raise his hand between them, going from JJ to Kiara, Kiara to JJ.

Pope, who had remained quiet until then, had a voice several octaves lower than usual when he did speak, interrupting John B’s quiet movements. ‘’Well, I guess it makes sense.’’

Kiara searched for any hints of irony in his voice, thinking he had maybe figured out it really was a prank after all, but couldn’t find any. He was serious, nodding his head in agreement.

‘’It does?’’ Kiara, a line appearing between her brows. That was not the reaction she had been expecting.

‘’Yeah, I mean, JJ’s been crushing on you for years so it just makes—’’

JJ cleared his throat harshly, soon turning it into a loud cough that seemed way too fabricated. ‘’Crushing? _Years_? I mean, I wouldn’t say years—’’ He trailed off awkwardly, but Pope didn’t take the hint.

‘’Bro, since we were like, eleven. I know you’re not big on maths, but that’s five years.’’

A muscle in JJ’s jaw twitched as he attempted to stop Pope from babbling any more. Kiara thought it was cute, really — it’s not as if she was oblivious to the fact her three male friends had all had harmless little boy crushes on her at some point. Although, there was something about the way JJ couldn’t seem to look her in the eyes, how he keep biting on his bottom lip nervously and pinching the soft skin behind his neck that made her question if, perhaps, out of all the boys, JJ’s crush had been the one to linger on for longer. 

‘’All right Pope, shut up, we get it.’’ JJ forced an awkward smile on his face, unsure whether he should just end the prank right then and free himself from the embarrassment. 

Pope wasn’t done, though, and he placed his hands on his friends’ shoulders. ‘’Hey, I’m just saying—’’ JJ’s mumbled _you’ve said enough_ didn’t stop the boy. ‘’I knew this would happen at some point. Guy’s crushing on girl, girl’s got the hots for guy—’’

‘’Excuse me?’’ It was Kiara’s turn to interrupt, but JJ took his palm over her mouth, muffling all the protests escaping her lips. ‘’Let him speak, woman. Pope, what were you saying? About Kie having the hots for me?’’

Later that day, after Kiara finally confessed it was all a prank and John B yelled out _I knew it!_ a total of eighteen times, the group of four promised each other to cool it on the next April Fools to come. Pope, left embarrassed by how easily he had been pranked, agreed that they were even, and called a truce. 

‘’We got them good, _gummy bear_.’’ JJ said with a goofy smile after the other boys had gone to sleep, and it was just him and Kiara lying in the shared hammock, limbs entangled. She chuckled in the crook of his neck, drifting off to sleep with the smell of his wood, sage and sea salt cologne.

‘’Yes we did, _cinnamon bun_.’’

He rubbed the small of her back, letting her press her chest firmly against his. ‘’We’re not going to keep on using those God awful pet names, though.’’ 

Kiara nodded. ‘’I second that.’’ 

**_four_ **

Kiara could barely make sense of the rushed scene taking place in front of her — JJ, dressed as a waiter, causing a commotion at the Midsummers party by running around the saloon, dropping trays and chairs and even some people.

He seemed distressed, like a roach running around in circles in an attempt to not be crushed. Of course it had to be Rafe, Topper and Kelce coming after her blond friend — she saw them in the yard, about to found their ways inside, where JJ had just been.

She followed the sound of people gasping and cutlery hitting the floor, easily spotting JJ running inside the men’s bathroom. _Dumb_ , Kiara thought. That was a terrible hiding spot, the first place Rafe was sure to search for him at. 

Kiara’s mind was going at a thousand miles per hour, trying to think of some way to protect JJ from the ire of the three boys. It didn’t even matter if he had done something — whatever the reason was for JJ to have infiltrated Midsummers as staff and for the Kooks to be furiously searching for him across the room, all Kiara wanted to do was to get him out of there and make sure he was safe. 

She ran towards the place she had last seen him, and the door to the men’s bathroom opened abruptly, nearly smacking her in the head. ‘’Kie?’’ He sounded frantic and out of breath. ‘’What are you doing here?’’

‘’Saving your ass, like usual.’’ She took his hand and pulled him into the women’s bathroom, no time to make their way up the stairs or out the back door.

A group of fifty-something year old ladies in classy velvet suits and snarky little smiles on their thin lips eyed Kiara and JJ disapprovingly as they walked together into the last stall in the well lit room, the only one that wasn’t occupied. _Filthy_ , one of them mumbled, which usually would have made JJ chuckled — but he was too agitated then, trying to accommodate himself in the small space.

JJ had his back to the door, Kiara facing him, her chest against his. They were quiet for a moment, doing their best to steady their breathing and fast beating hearts. 

Only when the shit-talking ladies from Figure 8 walked out of the bathroom, high heels loud over the marble floor, Kiara dared speak — still quietly, though, an almost whisper that JJ could barely hear. ‘’Sometimes it really feels like you’re just _trying_ to get yourself killed, JJ.’’ There was some unusual harshness in her voice as her mouth set in a hard line. 

He clenched his jaw as he glared down at the girl. ‘’Whatever, Kie.’’ He said nonchalantly, which only flared up her sudden anger.

‘’Whatever? It’s not really whatever when I’m the one who has to see you get beat up all the time, is it?’’

She wanted to kiss the hardened expression off his face.

‘’Why do you even care, Kiara?’’

Oh, she cared, all right. Didn’t want to most of the time, but did, as if it was a natural part of her being to constantly worry about JJ, and think about JJ — the way his body felt warm against hers, how blue his eyes were, and the taste of his mouth on the night at Sarah’s house when they kissed for the first and only time. Fuck, she had wanted him to kiss her again ever since then. 

‘’Because—’’ she tried, she really did, but the rest of the sentence got stuck in her throat. ‘’God damn it, do you really need me to say it?’’

Apparently no, because recognition dawned on his face and his lips crushed down on hers. It wasn’t slow or chaste, not at all — they had both waited far too long to do this again. His slid his tongue across her bottom lip begging for entrance, and she allowed his tongue to be skilfully pushed into her mouth, a breathy moan escaping her lips.

One kiss turned into five, ten, fifteen, something animalistic about the way his hands managed to be everywhere — tugging at her hair, tightening on her hip, hooking beneath the straps of her silky dress. Kiara didn’t have time to focus on the fact that this was JJ Maybank, the same boy who called her _bear trap_ when she got braces and wore her first bra on his head like a hat when he found it hidden behind a drawer. 

She didn’t have time to think about how much of a bad idea it was — this wasn’t them holding hands innocently as they walked, or falling asleep in an embrace nearly every night, and not even making out for a few minutes to escape the wrath of Sarah Cameron. This was more, or was about to turn into something more at least, but Kiara felt too warm and dizzy, her brain too foggy to possibly consider all the repercussions to their little endeavour. 

Hit mouth was warm and wet on her neck, her collarbone, her half exposed chest. Kiara’s head fell back, hitting the wall in an attempt to give JJ as much space as possible — and he took advantage of it, whispering her name against her skin as he licked and nipped and sucked. The way the Touron girls whispered about JJ’s skilled tongue suddenly made sense to Kiara, and although the thought of him touching another girl just like he was touching her right then made her stomach turn, she couldn’t help but wonder if the other things she had heard before were true.

His hand brushed over her braless breast and she moaned against his mouth involuntarily. He took it as a wish, wanting to listen to her body’s commands, and worked the straps of her dress until she was left half exposed. Her nipples were hard, and he licked his bottom lip in anticipation — Kiara skin was set aflame as the boy didn’t break eye contact while he grabbed her breasts, cupping them, his fingers twisting her nipples and lips parted sensually and in awe of the girl standing in front of him, whining and flushed.

The touching was soon not enough. His swollen lips found their way to her ear, so she could hear him loud and clear. ‘’Is it ok if I use my tongue?’’ And she had to take a deep breath before mumbling a desperate _yes, please_. 

JJ leaned down so he could face the sensitive area of Kiara’s body he wanted to give his undivided attention to. He opened his mouth slightly over her nipple and exhaled, blowing lines over her breasts — only when he noticed the formation of goose bumps over her skin he started his trail of kisses, short pecks from her underboob and working his way with deeper open mouthed kisses all the way to her nipples.

The mix of sensations as he maintained a pattern of tracing circles around her areola with the tip of his tongue and sucking her nipples with only the right amount of teeth was enough to drive her wild. Kiara’s breath turned heavy against his skilled touch, her thighs squeezing together because she oh so needed some applied pressure _everywhere_. 

‘’JJ—’’ she mumbled, and he hummed against her breast. ‘’JJ.’’ She called his name again, a bit more severely, forcing him to look up. 

Their eyes met, and the burning in her lower abdomen increased by the sight of his red lips, a string of saliva connecting them to her left nipple. ‘’Is something wrong?’’ _Did I do something wrong?_ , she could see the desperate thought flood his face. ‘’Kie, I won’t mind if you want to stop, we—’’

She interrupted him quickly, not wanting the boy to think for another second that he wasn’t giving her the most amount of pleasure she had ever felt in her whole entire life. ‘’I don’t want to stop,’’ she assured him, batting her lashes. ‘’I want more.’’

He smirked, of course. It was JJ. He had a boyish, cocky, shameless little smirk because somehow he had gotten Kiara Carrera to melt into his embrace and beg him for more. Oh, he’d give her more, all right — his gaze was hungry and full of desire, blue eyes unusually darkened when with a groan, he crouched down on the marble bathroom floor. 

The realization of what was about to happen burned through Kiara, her body immediately set aflame. 

‘’I want to taste all of you,’’ his voice was husky and slightly out of breath, just quiet enough so that no one else in the bathroom would be able to hear them. ‘’I’ve wondered for so long how it’d feel like to have my tongue inside of you.’’ 

Kiara couldn’t even find it in herself to nod, too lost in her own arousal, still struggling for air. Her fingers traveled to the back of JJ’s head and tugged on his hair not so softly, making the boy let out an electrified groan. He found the hem of her skirt, rolling it up at an agonizingly slow pace as his fingertips brushed Kiara’s bare legs.

He rolled the silky fabric until it stood her above her knees, and Kiara took over, holding onto the layers of the dress her mom had spent hundreds of dollars on. JJ kept his slow pace, as if he had forgotten where they were and why — he worked his way up her calf until finding the inside of her thighs, placing kisses all over. 

He let his lips brush over her clothed core for only a second, and she might have heard something like _damn it, Kie, can’t believe you’re this wet for me_ , but couldn’t bring herself to focus on much else other than his teeth nipping at the lace of her white coloured underwear. He didn’t take too long to get it off of her, though, tucking it in his pants’ back pocket. 

‘’For safekeeping.’’ Was the last thing he said before diving into Kiara’s wetness.

Kiara’s back leaned against the cold wall tiles behind her, JJ placing her right leg over his shoulder to gain more access to where she needed him most. As his hands continued to massage her inner thighs, it became clear to Kiara that he wanted her to work for her release — he started off slow, soft kissed and quick licks followed by a gathering of _God damn it,_ _you’re so beautiful_ and _fuck, I can’t get enough of you_ and _no one could ever be prettier than you, or better than you, or taste sweeter than you_. 

JJ was a pro. He took his time kissing her dripping core, sucking the lips and biting them softly — wasn’t afraid to slobber on her, adding extra lubrication. The little whimpers and quiet grunting escaping her mouth seemed to assure JJ that he was doing something right, and he added in two fingers to her already sensitive core.

‘’ _Oh my God_ , JJ,’’ she yelled out, unable to control her sudden urge to scream. ‘’Holy shit, that feels good.’’ JJ had to use his free hand to cover her wide open mouth, not wanting to risk them being found out. Even if they did, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop. 

He ate her out like he meant it, like it might be the last thing he’d ever do — like it could be, should be, even, and he’d be ecstatic about it. There was no other place that boy would rather be than in between Kiara’s thighs, and she knew so, having to bite on his palm that stood firmly against her mouth to ground herself from the loss of all senses.

‘’I want to make you cum, Kie,’’ he announced as if it wasn’t obvious from the way the tip of his nose pressed down on her bundle of nerves, putting everything he had into full use. ‘’Do you want to cum?’’

She thought she might spontaneously combust if she didn’t soon — she was ready for her release, and as if JJ could read her thoughts, he picked up the pace. More pressure, more fingers, more _everything_ , bringing her closer and closer to the edge by the second. The door to the bathroom burst wide open, voices that seemed familiar echoed, but neither of them could bring themselves to care. With her soft, nearly inaudible _I’m close, J, I’m so close_ , the boy chose to focus on the task at hand.

Kiara’s legs started shaking, adrenaline coursing through her body. Her hands gripped the top of the door when her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her brain unable to process the explosion of pleasure. When she came against his mouth — the same mouth that kept humming _cum for me, Kie, cum for me_ —, she did so shouting his name, his tongue softer but still moving to help her ride out her high. 

She could barely stand, legs too wobbly. JJ got up, licking his three fingers clean, her juices coating his chin. When he kissed her, the taste of her very own climax on his lips was overwhelming, so much they almost didn’t notice the pairs of feet showing up under the stall, the loud knocks and shaking of the door. 

Almost.

‘’I’ve been informed there’s an intruder here, bothering the guests,’’ an angered voice Kiara assumed belonged to a security officer echoed. ‘’Come out of the stall right this second, young man.’’

They did their best to compose themselves in the matter of seconds, Kiara focusing on adjusting her dress and JJ adjusting the bulge in his pants. It didn’t do them much good, though, because when the door was forced open even Topper and Kelce’s cheeks turned pink, Rafe let out a knowing chuckle and the security officer cleared his throat, turning his gaze anywhere else but the pair disheveled teenagers inside the cubicle.

The man shooed the trio of Kooks away, clearly left uncomfortable by the whole ordeal. ‘’We don’t take trespassers, boy. To be allowed entry you must either be a member or—’’

‘’Or be invited by a member,’’ Kiara cut him off, hands on her hips. ‘’And well, I’m Kiara Carrera, a member of this club, and this right here is JJ, my boyfriend. Also known as my plus one.’’

The man’s severe gaze shifted from the curly haired girl to the blue eyed boy. ‘’So care to explain why he’s dressed like one of our waiters, miss Carrera?’’

Kiara didn’t back down, refusing to let security cause a whole scene by scorting JJ out of the club. ‘’Ever heard of role-playing, dude? We’ve been together for a while, wanted to try something different to, _you know_ , spice things up.’’

The man’s eyes widened, cheeks as red as they could be. JJ had a hard time holding back laughter when he nodded in agreement. ‘’Last I heard, being a _little bit_ kinky wasn’t a crime, man. I mean, if it is, then sue us!’’

Kiara thought she might have never seen something as hilarious as the look on that security officer’s face. His weight shifted from one leg to the other, and JJ, to top things off, made sure to have his hand around Kiara’s waist and a cheeky smile on his fucked-out looking face.

‘’Do not use the stalls next time, you little animals,’’ he scoffed, desperate to abandon the awkward situation. ‘’Don’t you know that’s unsanitary? _Come on_.’’

And on the way out, still in their post-orgasmic haze, JJ gave the trio of Kooks waiting outside his middle finger. Interrupting the possibility of Kiara giving back the favour was too much of a low blow, even for Rafe.

**_five_ **

‘’Kiara, are you _dating_ JJ Maybank?’’ her mother eyed her disapprovingly.

Short answer was _no_. Long answer was _no_ too, really, though the duo had found themselves in a friends with benefits sort of relationship (if you could even call that a relationship) ever since Midsummers.

That same night, after they went to The Chateau, Kiara had found herself crossing the corridor on her way to JJ’s self-claimed room. Well, it wouldn’t have been fair of her to not return the favour after he had spent nearly half an hour making her see stars, would it? So she kissed him hungrily, he helped her get rid of his sweatpants and she placed her mouth around his growing bulge, bobbed her head up and down vigorously until JJ’s hips were bucking forward and his lips crying out for her name as his came on her tongue.

It should’ve been the end of it, both deciding with an overly-complicated Pogue handshake that they couldn’t risk ruining the dynamics of the group, but someway, somehow, JJ and Kiara kept finding themselves in situations that pushed them together into a foolish dance of entangled limbs and messy open mouthed kisses.

There was that one time under a fuzzy blanket during outdoor movie night, the time in the backseat of Kiara’s car after she offered him a ride, and once even against a tree during a kegger. After the many adventurous and unorthodox choices of time and place, it was possible that JJ and Kiara had gotten a little too comfortable, finding themselves making out lazily in Kiara’s own bedroom one warm Sunday afternoon. 

He had gone over to her place for a _Rick and Morty_ marathon, but sometime around the fifth uninterrupted episode, his baby blue eyes flickered down to her lips, his fingers traced shapes on Kiara’s thigh, and she was a goner. Pushed the laptop to the side and straddled his lap, feeling his hardening bulge against her barely clothed core — it was a typically warm day in Outer Banks, Kiara wore thin fabric shorts and a gym crop top, JJ not doing any favours being shirtless, his favourite boardshorts flaunting his pulsing length.

Kiara’s mouth brushed against his earlobe, one of JJ’s hands tugging softly at strands of the girl’s curly hair and the other holding on tight to her bare hip. His lips were on her neck, tracing from her jaw to her collaborne, making sure to leave as many purple love bits as he could — an endless cycle of biting, blowing air, sucking. 

Kiara wasn’t the loudest in bed, she left that for JJ, but once, still in his post-orgasmic haze, JJ had confessed to her that he could cum in his pants just with the sound of her moaning his name. She made sure to keep doing it, then — mumble, whimper, yell out the boy’s name whenever she had the chance to. It was a wave of _JJ, fuck, J, JJ, oh my God, JJ_ that turned the blond boy into a breathless, moaning mess even before he was inside her. 

JJ’s lips collided with Kiara’s — she had used strawberry gloss that morning, so he let his tongue trace over her bottom lip with great relish. Kiara shifted on his lap and the boy groaned, steadying her waist with his calloused hands, and when she grinded her hips against his crotch JJ’s eyes squeezed shut.

Kiara’s arms fell on his shoulders, fingers tugging at strands of wild, blond hair. He helped her move against him, around him, all over him — his motions soon became more of thrusts than anything, buckling his hips to meet her still clothed, but undeniable wet core. She made sure he knew she could feel his hardness against her — _you’re so hard, fuck_ . Kiara couldn’t do much other than mutter against the skin of his milky neck. _What are you going to do about it?_

‘’I want you to ride me, baby.’’ He let out a breathy moan, and Kiara couldn’t deny it when he asked so nicely.

She helped him pull his boardshorts down to his ankles, his hardened length immediately slapping against his lower abdomen. The boy, wanting to waste no time, pushed her silky shorts and lacy panties to the side and let Kiara sink down his shaft — effortlessly, because she was always so ready for him. 

Profanities and breathy moans escaped both their swollen lips. When he told Kiara how tight she was, and how much well she took him, and how good she felt around him, she began to rock her hips voraciously. Her head fell back in pleasure, her hand on his chest steadying herself as she bounced up and down, up and down, up and down, only stopping to roll her hips and rotate every once in a while.

JJ’s back arched, lips parted open in a silent scream at the heavenly feeling of Kiara clenching around him without warning. 

He made sure she came first, as usual — had to think about the dullest things in life, about math homework, bad surfing days and History class. The sight of JJ’s eyes closed shut, brows knitted in concentration made her throb, and a few moments later, as she stared down at his hand finding its way to her bundle of nerves in circular motions, she came undone on top of him with a loud scream filled with profanities.

‘’ _Holy shit_ , Kie.’’ He muttered as if her contracted, crying out in pleasure face was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. 

He came undone with a high pitched moan only a moment after, as the girl rotated her hips once more to ride out her orgasm. Kiara’s legs were shaking, and held on to her thighs, calloused fingers and cold metallic rings bringing her back to the surface.

That would have been a bad moment for Anna Carrera to walk into the room. JJ still inside Kiara, both sweaty, panting, struggling to gather back their breaths. Thing was, the woman only came home around fifteen minutes later — walked in without warning, too, so it had been her fault just as much as Kiara’s for forgetting to lock the door. 

The most she saw was her daughter’s naked body entangled with JJ’s, all the critical body parts at least partly covered by the wrinkled sheets. It wasn’t _that_ bad, Kiara figured, but Anna seemed to disagree. The mere idea of her only daughter being in bed with one JJ Maybank was enough to send her in a downward spiral, her face scrunched up in frustration.

‘’For God’s sake. JJ Maybank? Really?’’ The way Anna stuck her nose in the air angered Kiara, who felt weirdly protective of her (not really hers) boy.

‘’What about JJ, mom?’’

She had pulled Kiara downstairs, over to the living room — gave her nothing but a couple of minutes to throw one of JJ’s stained shirts over her body and attempt to fix her disheveled hair. 

‘’You know where he comes from, Kiara,’’ she spoke in a very matter-of-fact way that didn’t sit well with Kiara. ‘’You know who his dad is.’’

Kiara clenched her fists as anger flowed through her like lava. JJ was still upstairs in her room, and simply thinking of the possibility of the boy hearing Anna’s revolting comments was enough to make Kiara sick to her stomach. 

‘’Just please, tell me you’re not dating that boy.’’ Anna nearly begged, and really, what was Kiara supposed to do? Just let her win?

 _No_. There was no way in hell Kiara was going to tell her mom the half-truth they had been telling everyone for the past few months — friends. Friends who kiss, sometimes. She wasn’t going to let her mother breathe a sigh of relief over this, no, _no way_. 

‘’Yes, mom, I am dating _that boy_ ,’’ she said, arms crossed over her chest defensively.‘’ _That boy_ who picks up his phone whenever I call him, and comes running whenever I need him. _That boy_ who stopped using straws and learned how to recycle because I asked, when that’s something not even you and dad could do for me. _That boy_ who doesn’t underestimate me, who respects my opinions, who never says I’m a _good surfer for a girl_. He makes sure I know I’m good, period.’’

‘’Kiara—’’ 

The shirt Kiara wore smelled of JJ — of cigarettes and sea salt. It was hard to think when that realization clouded her brain. 

‘’No, mom, you listen,’’ she interrupted, poison in her tongue in a way her mom hadn’t seen before. ‘’I’m the one who gets to choose who I date. Not you, not dad, _me_. And I would never choose someone other than JJ.’’

And she meant it. Sure, she pulled the blond boy downstairs with her arm wrapped around his lower back and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips by the door as a big _fuck you, you can’t tell me what to do_ to Anna Carrera — but still, she meant what she said. If she was going to date a guy at some point, she’d want it to be JJ. 

It felt good to yell out _see you later, boyfriend_ as he walked away, making sure Anna could hear her. And it felt even better when he turned back to kiss her again, and with a little wink whispered softly in her ear _see you, girlfriend_.

**_+1_ **

‘’So, let me get this straight,’’ John B sat at the end of the pull out couch. ‘’It is _not_ an April Fools prank again.’’ 

JJ sighed, a vein popped out in his neck. They had been going over this for over twenty-five minutes by then.

‘’Bro, it’s November,’’ JJ yelled out, and Kiara placed her hand on his back in comfort, drawing shapes over the bare skin. ‘’And you and Pope literally just burst through the door while I was still _inside_ her.’’ 

Kiara cringed at his choice of words, a pink flush creeping up her neck and her cheeks — but she let it go, because Pope and John B really could be so obtuse sometimes. 

It hadn’t been JJ and Kiara’s smartest decision to be getting it on at The Chateau when they knew their friends could be walking in any second, but, in their defense, ever since Kiara had decided to pull off the little _he’s my boyfriend_ show with her mom the previous month, the pair had found increasingly harder to get some alone time with Mike and Anna’s attentive eyes watching their every move.

‘’So you guys are dating,’’ Pope stated, but it sounded more like a question. ‘’For real, this time?’’

JJ and Kiara shared a knowing glance, and he squeezed her hand — the same hand where still stood the golden ring he had given her last April.

Somehow, referring to each other _boyfriend_ and _girlfriend_ to get on Anna’s nerves had stuck. At one point, their fake date nights at The Wreck had become a little too authentic, and a little too enjoyable for it to be called fake — they laughed until their ribs got tired, held hands under the table and shared sloppy kisses whenever Mike’s back was turned. 

He would still give her a wet willy whenever she was too focused on something, and she still busied herself during her break at the restaurant by seeing how many fries she could fit into JJ’s mouth until he started gagging. 

_He was still JJ, and she was still Kiara._

‘’For real, this time.’’ JJ said, and Kiara was pretty sure she could see his soul through his smile.

‘’As real as it gets.’’ She concluded, eagerly sliding into her boy’s embrace.

 _But they were also JJ and Kiara._

**Author's Note:**

> come cry about jiara (and way too many other ships) with me on tumblr 🤍 @jiaaras


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